Published: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 9:21 p.m.

Note: This is a corrected version. The original incorrectly reported the location of Lewis Nursery and Farms.

Facts

Rain no record, but above normal

Rain in June 2013: 11.46 inches (eighth highest; 6.28 inches above normal)Rain in June 1995: 12.03 inches (last time rainfall exceeded that of June 2013)Rain in June 1962: 12.87 inches (highest rainfall ever recorded in Wilmington) 24-hour period with most rainfall: 2.41 inches on June 6-7Rain so far this year: 4.09 inches above normalSource: National Weather Service

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The Pender County farmer, owner of Lewis Nursery and Farms near Rocky Point, said he lost about 20 percent of his blueberries and about 70 percent of his bell peppers to June's above-normal rainfall.

"This is more devastating than a hurricane because we're losing the fruits," Lewis said. "Eastern North Carolina (has) been flooded."

Lewis' farm, in the top five statewide for annual bell pepper and blueberry production, is not alone in suffering from pounding rain.

Though only the eighth-wettest June on record, the 11.46 inches of rainfall the Wilmington area saw in June was the highest since June of 1995 and the last two weeks of the month have seen a rare climate setup, according to meteorologists.

The jump in rainfall follows May and April – months that had rainfall totals slightly below and above average, respectively.

Driving storms have blown into Southeastern North Carolina courtesy of two massive weather systems meeting along the eastern seaboard, said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

"The flow around the high pressure, which is over the Atlantic, is from the southeast (tropics) and the flow around the low pressure is southwest from Mexico," Weiss said. "It's pretty rare to have a setup like this, this time of year."

The "upper trough" low pressure system over the central U.S. and the high pressure system over the Atlantic are converging and drawing dual streams of warm, tropical air up the eastern seaboard, causing severe thunderstorms, Weiss said.

Though the sandy soil of the coastal Carolinas can hold more moisture than inland soils, 14 days of rain over a tenth of an inch, nine of them coming back to back at the end of the month, led to flood warnings for much of the Wilmington region at the end of June.

Projections that the Northeast Cape Fear river will rise to 10.9 feet by Saturday has Collins concerned many rural county roads will become impassable.

"It's the worst flooding since three years ago and it was a whole lot worse than this," Collins said. "If this (rain) persists, we could see that kind of flooding again."

Some residents already are feeling the rain's effects.

"Yesterday, I couldn't do laundry. We couldn't flush toilets because the water was so high," said Dolores Swope, a Pender County resident on Sandy Bend Road near Shaw Highway.

Standing water engulfed Swope's yard for six of the past eight days, causing worry for the health of her children and 88-year-old mother.

Farther south in New Hanover County, Warren Lee, New Hanover County's emergency management director, said the excessive rainfall has not caused problems.

"We've seen some standing water from time to time," Lee said. "I'm not aware of anybody not being able to get access to their homes."

The last time county residents were stranded because of flooding was July 2009, Lee said, though he did acknowledge this summer has been "unusual" so far.

At least one New Hanover County institution is suffering, however, as the Wilmington International Airport experienced 30 cancellations in June – 23 more than June 2012, said Gary Broughton, director of operations for ILM.

The airport does not track delays, Broughton said.

"The majority of those cancellations have been attributed to weather," Broughton said. "We have been noticing it. It's the airlines more than the airport."

The airlines decide whether to cancel a flight out of ILM, an airport that averages 24 flights a day, Broughton said.

Will Lear, assistant general manager of the Courtyard Marriott hotel on Carolina Beach, said the rain is affecting business this week.

"We'd normally be sold out at this point and we have a few rooms left right now," Lear said. "It has picked up a lot slower than we anticipated and what it should have been had the weather been nicer."

Though Lear said the weather had a "medium impact" on business, he still expects the hotel to sell out as Fourth of July celebrations near.

In Brunswick County, Sam Bellamy, who runs Indigo Farms, likened his experience fighting the storms to harvest and plant his crops to a poem written by James Whitcomb Riley decades ago about a discouraged farmer.

"I think of that poem because you can feel it. It's discouraging," Bellamy said. "(It rains) day after day, and you're realizing ... if you don't produce, you don't make any money, and that's hard."

<p>Note: This is a corrected version. The original incorrectly reported the location of Lewis Nursery and Farms.</p><p>Don't tell Cal Lewis this rain is just an annoyance. </p><p>The Pender County farmer, owner of Lewis Nursery and Farms near Rocky Point, said he lost about 20 percent of his blueberries and about 70 percent of his bell peppers to June's above-normal rainfall.</p><p>"This is more devastating than a hurricane because we're losing the fruits," Lewis said. "Eastern North Carolina (has) been flooded."</p><p>Lewis' farm, in the top five statewide for annual bell pepper and blueberry production, is not alone in suffering from pounding rain.</p><p>Though only the eighth-wettest June on record, the 11.46 inches of rainfall the Wilmington area saw in June was the highest since June of 1995 and the last two weeks of the month have seen a rare climate setup, according to meteorologists. </p><p>The jump in rainfall follows May and April – months that had rainfall totals slightly below and above average, respectively. </p><p>Driving storms have blown into Southeastern North Carolina courtesy of two massive weather systems meeting along the eastern seaboard, said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington. </p><p>"The flow around the high pressure, which is over the Atlantic, is from the southeast (tropics) and the flow around the low pressure is southwest from Mexico," Weiss said. "It's pretty rare to have a setup like this, this time of year."</p><p>The "upper trough" low pressure system over the central U.S. and the high pressure system over the Atlantic are converging and drawing dual streams of warm, tropical air up the eastern seaboard, causing severe thunderstorms, Weiss said. </p><p>Though the sandy soil of the coastal Carolinas can hold more moisture than inland soils, 14 days of rain over a tenth of an inch, nine of them coming back to back at the end of the month, led to flood warnings for much of the Wilmington region at the end of June. </p><p>In Pender County, minor flooding was widespread, said Tom Collins, Pender County's Emergency Management director. </p><p>Projections that the Northeast Cape Fear river will rise to 10.9 feet by Saturday has Collins concerned many rural county roads will become impassable. </p><p>"It's the worst flooding since three years ago and it was a whole lot worse than this," Collins said. "If this (rain) persists, we could see that kind of flooding again." </p><p>Some residents already are feeling the rain's effects. </p><p>"Yesterday, I couldn't do laundry. We couldn't flush toilets because the water was so high," said Dolores Swope, a Pender County resident on Sandy Bend Road near Shaw Highway. </p><p>Standing water engulfed Swope's yard for six of the past eight days, causing worry for the health of her children and 88-year-old mother. </p><p>Farther south in New Hanover County, Warren Lee, New Hanover County's emergency management director, said the excessive rainfall has not caused problems. </p><p>"We've seen some standing water from time to time," Lee said. "I'm not aware of anybody not being able to get access to their homes."</p><p>The last time county residents were stranded because of flooding was July 2009, Lee said, though he did acknowledge this summer has been "unusual" so far.</p><p>At least one New Hanover County institution is suffering, however, as the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/TOPIC9917"><b>Wilmington International Airport</b></a> experienced 30 cancellations in June – 23 more than June 2012, said Gary Broughton, director of operations for ILM. </p><p>The airport does not track delays, Broughton said. </p><p>"The majority of those cancellations have been attributed to weather," Broughton said. "We have been noticing it. It's the airlines more than the airport."</p><p>The airlines decide whether to cancel a flight out of ILM, an airport that averages 24 flights a day, Broughton said. </p><p>Will Lear, assistant general manager of the Courtyard Marriott hotel on Carolina Beach, said the rain is affecting business this week.</p><p>"We'd normally be sold out at this point and we have a few rooms left right now," Lear said. "It has picked up a lot slower than we anticipated and what it should have been had the weather been nicer."</p><p>Though Lear said the weather had a "medium impact" on business, he still expects the hotel to sell out as Fourth of July celebrations near.</p><p>In Brunswick County, Sam Bellamy, who runs Indigo Farms, likened his experience fighting the storms to harvest and plant his crops to a poem written by James Whitcomb Riley decades ago about a discouraged farmer. </p><p>"I think of that poem because you can feel it. It's discouraging," Bellamy said. "(It rains) day after day, and you're realizing ... if you don't produce, you don't make any money, and that's hard."</p><p>Will Drabold: 343-2016</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @willdrabold</p>